Integrity and responsibility of researchers

Integrity and responsibility of researchers
Ethical views
Michèle LEDUC
President of COMETS (Comité d’éthique du CNRS)
ALLEA, Austrian Academy of Science, Vienna, 18/19 April 2016
Members of COMETS
Michèle LEDUC
Physicienne
DR CNRS,
ENS, Paris
Danièle BOURSIER
Juriste
Françoise BIRG
DR
CNRS
Biologiste moléculaire
Univ.
Paris 2
DR INSERM,
Marseille
Didier GOURIER
Chimiste
Prof. Ecole Chimie
-ParisTech
Michel CAMPILLO
Géophysicien
Prof. Univ .JF
Grenoble
Lucienne LETELLIER
Biophysicienne
DR émérite CNRS
Univ. Paris Sud
Rémy MOSSERI
Physicien
DR CNRS,
UPMC, Paris
Amy DAHAN
Historienne des sciences
DR émérite CNRS,
Centre A. Koyré, Paris
Pascal PETIT
Economiste
DR CNRS, ENS, Paris
Experte associée au COMETS
Anne CAMBON-THOMSEN
Médecin,
DR CNRS
INSERM Toulouse
Isabelle DESGUERRE
Neuropédiatre
PUPH,
Hôpital Necker, Paris
Norbert
SCHAPPACHER
Mathématicien
Prof. Univ. Strasbourg
Jean-Gabriel
GANASCIA
Informaticien
Prof. UPMC, Paris
Pierre-Henri
TAVOILLOT
Philosophe
Maître de conf. Univ.
Paris-Sorbonne
Ethics at CNRS
COMETS : an independent structure which choses on what to give advices
Missions
•
Develop a reflexion on research practices
•
Define principles about individual behaviour and collective
attitudes
•
Formulate recommendations on the researcher responsability
and duties facing his institution and society
Why to worry about research integrity today
The facts
 The number of conflicts in strong increase in the academic world
 More and more cases of misconduct
- appropriation of results found by others
- alteration of data or creation of false results
- plagiarism
 And also, more frequently
- wrong attribution of authorship
- lack of mentorship of students and postdocs
Why to worry about research integrity today
The reasons
More and more pressure on researchers
• Increasing internal and international competition
• More and more time devoted to answer funding calls
• Wrong evaluation criteria based on bibliometric indices
• High impact factor reviews over-estimated
• Insecure situation of young researchers
• Running after the scoop in the media
Seven reasons to care about research integrity (RI)
(Science Europe, briefing paper)
• RI safeguards the foundations of Science and Scholarship
• RI maintains public confidence in research evidence
• RI underpins continued public Investment in research
• RI protects the reputation and careers of researchers
• RI prevents adverse impact on Patients and the Public
• RI promotes economic advancement
• RI prevents avoidable Waste of resources
Misconducts acknowledged by researchers in the US
Retraction of scientific articles (Retraction watch)
2nd world conference on research integrity
Singapore July 21-24 (2010)
Accepted by CNRS en juin 2012
http://www.singaporestatement.org/
The COMETS guide book (July 2014)
« Promoting an honest and responsible research »
Provided to the
2000 lab directors (all disciplines)
Given and signed each year
to all the newly recruited members
Discussed in the laboratories
http://www.cnrs.fr/comets/
http://www.cnrs.fr/comets
Promoting an honest and responsible research:
1. CONDUCTING A RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH
Respect of ethical principles and regulations. Good practices
2. DATA PRODUCTION, PROCESSING AND ARCHIVING
Collecting, processing and archiving personal data, big data, data archiving,
3. PUBLICATIONS
Authorship, Open access publishing, large impact factor journals in evaluation.
Copyright. Intellectual property, patents
4. RESPONSIBILITIES OF RESEARCHERS IN COLLECTIVE WORK
5. RESEARCH EVALUATION
6. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF RESEARCHERS
Communicating with the media and the public, expertise, conflict of interest
7. HOW TO COPE WITH INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIORS
Plagiarism, Falsification and fabrication of data, How to deal with frauds
About Authorship
« Introduction to the responsible conduct of research » Nicholas Steneck, drawing David ZInn
Benefits of
collaborative research
Mentor-trainee
relationship
National Charter of Ethics for the Research Professions
This Charter constitutes a French national version of the main
international texts in this field: the European Charter for
Researchers (2005); the Singapore Statement on Research
Integrity (2010); the European Code of Conduct for Research
Integrity (ESF-ALLEA, 2011). The Charter falls within the
reference framework put forward in the European research and
innovation program, HORIZON 2020.
When
the media
come into
the game…
Le Monde,
April 2015
Research
facing social networks, blogs, etc.
…
Discussion forum on published articles
But also: frauds are revealed anonymously
Relations between science and citizens
The context keeps changing
After the second world war: the progress of science is considered
the primary factor of economical and social development
In the 70s: the notion of progress is reconsidered in view of
new challenges (environment, energy, health …)
and the awarness of the limited resources on earth
Today: in the public, admiration but apprehension /contestation
URGENT NEED to build a relation of TRUST
between scientists and citizens
Participation of the citizens to science
The upsurge of participatory science in the 20th century
Collection of scientific data by amateurs linked by internet network
Amateurs can work with researchers in co-creation and co-design
Societal benefit:
Useful for the advancement of science
Training for amateurs to scientific methods and rational thinking
Development of vocations for science among the young ones
Ethical concerns
Validation of collected data
Protection of private life
Reward for contributors
Examples in the environmental sciences
Les observatoires de vigie-nature
Communiqué de presse – 19 mars 2015
Le projet collaboratif « 65 Millions d’Observateurs »
porté par le Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle
Observatoire Spipoll © M.N.H.N – M. Evanno
Sortie scolaire, Biolit –
Observatoire du littoral © Planète Mer
Renewing the dialogue between scientists and citizens
• Dissemination of scientific culture
Make a good use of media
Work with teachers
• Controversies around the social impact of technological choices
Increase democratisation of scientific strategies
Limitations by the freedom of the researchers
• Active role of scientists
Help to public controversial debates
Disconnect personal views and scientific knowledge
Necessary implication of research institutions
science sans conscience
n’est que ruine de l’âme
Rabelais, Gargantua et Pantagruel,